In 2026, Formula 1 will change its technical regulations, four years after reintroducing ground effect in 2022 (which will not be abandoned in the new technical cycle). The power units will also be different from the current ones, which introduced hybrids to Formula 1 in 2014. Compared to the current units, the MGU-H will be removed, fuels will be 100% bio, and the electric component will increase its role in providing power compared to the current dominance of the internal combustion part.
Drivers have complained for years about the size and weight of the cars, factors that are very limiting when it comes to battling on track. Reducing weight is a very difficult challenge, also because safety elements – including the Halo – have been introduced, which necessarily add weight to the cars.
The 2026 rules will be officially announced soon (there is great anticipation, especially regarding active aerodynamics), but Stefano Domenicali looks beyond 2030 when a return to the past could significantly reduce the weight of F1 cars: “In recent weeks, the F1 Commission has imposed finding an agreement by the end of May, and all teams are now working on 2026,” Stefano Domenicali said at a press conference ahead of the Imola Grand Prix.
“The new rules are starting to make sense, but then we will have to quickly decide for a longer-term future. The weight of the cars remains a sore point and is a consequence of hybrid power units, but with sustainable fuels, we could do without hybrids. We need to accelerate on all this.” – the former Ferrari team principal concluded.
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